On our two-week vacation to Portugal, my husband and I planned a fairy-tale day trip to the town of Sintra, less than an hour northwest of Lisbon.
Known as the first center of European Romantic architecture, Sintra is home to a stunning palace, the remnants of an ancient castle wall, and a sprawling estate designed by Italian architect and scenographer Luigi Manini.
It was one of the best places we visited in Portugal and a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon.
For starters, I was glad we took an Uber to Sintra instead of a train
We wanted to arrive at Sintra’s Pena Palace before 9:30 a.m., since we’d booked the earliest access possible.
Although Lisbon has a direct train to Sintra that takes about 40 minutes and costs only a few bucks, we’d already had poor luck with trains throughout Portugal and didn’t want to risk missing our timed entry.
Our Uber ride took less than an hour and was fairly affordable. We spent 26 euros, plus a tip, to get to Pena Palace.
Even better, taxis and rideshares can drive right up to the gate alongside tour buses. If you’re driving yourself, you’ll have to park farther down the hill and hike up or take a bus.
Ultimately, if you don’t have a rental car and aren’t staying in the town of Sintra, I recommend taking an Uber — especially if you’re starting your day early and leaving from Lisbon.
Booking our tickets early for the major attractions was crucial
Despite feeling worlds away from Lisbon, Sintra remains a popular destination and can get crowded during the summer, prime tourist season.
We found the best time to see the town’s main attractions, including the red-and-yellow Pena Palace, is first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, after all the tour groups have left.
Tickets for Pena Palace and Manini’s Quinta da Regaleira are timed, and the best time slots sell out in advance. As soon as you book your flights and hotels, research tickets for these two sites in Sintra.
You can also buy tickets for the Moorish Castle in advance, but these are date-based tickets — no timed entry required.
In the end, I’m grateful we’d reserved our tickets weeks before our trip.
Touring the inside and outside of Pena Palace was incredible
Pena Palace was easily the most beautiful European architecture I’ve seen, even better than Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle.
The bright red-and-yellow paint on the exterior is much more imaginative than the typical stone color of cathedrals and castles throughout Europe, and the scenery from the hilltop is impressive.
Once the fog lifted for the day, we could see the Atlantic and a 360-degree view of the surrounding villages below.
Our ticket also got us inside the palace, where we were able to tour several beautiful rooms with antique furniture, breathtaking artwork, and stunning views of the surroundings.
We found that as we finished our 9:30 a.m. tour, the palace was starting to get really busy. Again, going early feels crucial for the best experience.
After seeing the palace interior, we spent time exploring the grounds, which are filled with beautiful scenery and various hiking trails.
We hiked to the Valley of Lakes in Pena Park and found the most elaborate “birdhouses” or “duck condos” we’ve ever seen and spotted wildlife enjoying them. One was even designed to look like a castle tower in the middle of a lake.
Next, we took a short hike to the Moorish Castle and spent some time in town
You can take public transportation to the nearby Moorish Castle, but there’s a path to it from Pena Palace if you’re OK with a mild hike. It was paved and felt accessible at about half a mile long.
The Moorish Castle is significantly older than Pena Palace, as it was originally constructed several centuries ago. Though it’s undergone significant reconstruction over the last millennium, you can still feel the history in every stone.
Climbing to the highest rampart is intense, but the views from the top — including a view of Pena Palace on the nearby hilltop — are worth the ascent.
After exploring the Moorish Castle, we took a long hike down the hill into the town of Sintra in search of lunch. In my opinion, the hike was not well marked and challenging in parts, even on the descent.
Although I recommend it if you’re an avid hiker because the nature is peaceful and the views are beautiful, use public transportation to get back into town for lunch if you’re not up for the hike or are in a hurry.
Like many old towns in Europe, Sintra had plenty of restaurants and cafés. We had a quick lunch, strolled through town, and sat down for beers while we waited for our timed entry into Quinta da Regaleira.
A true star of the day trip was Quinta da Regaleira
Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle are the main reason many go to Sintra, but the most magical part of the town was in a third attraction: Quinta da Regaleira, a massive estate with elaborate grounds to explore.
In a few hours, we climbed multiple castle towers, saw live music in a courtyard, toured the Renaissance-style manor, explored various underground caves, and saw deep wells that reminded us of St. Patrick’s Well in Orvieto, Italy.
This park is packed with imaginative landscaping, incredible sculptures, and what the Quinta da Regaleira website calls an “eclectic-revivalist architectural ensemble” that showcases the best of several historic European architectural styles.
Wandering the grounds felt like stepping inside a beloved storybook from childhood. I half expected to encounter an evil witch or a knight in shining armor around every corner.
It was a long day, and I’m glad we ended it with an Uber ride back to Lisbon
After a day of adventure, we planned to take the train back to Lisbon. However, we were tired, and the train station was half an hour away from where we ended our day at Quinta da Regaleira.
We did some math and realized that an Uber to the train station, the train tickets themselves, and an Uber from the Lisbon train station to our hotel would’ve cost the same as an Uber back to our Lisbon hotel from Quinta da Regaleira.
So, we happily chose the latter, and it was a relaxing way to end our exhausting but breathtaking day in Sintra.
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